Rachael McKriger

Fans waited — and tailgated — outside Highmark Stadium on Saturday until the gates opened at 4 p.m. It was the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' season opener, and the eyes of children gleamed as they looked at they players like they were their heroes.
The stands quickly filled up to watch the Riverhounds, led by head coach Dave Brandt, take on the New York Red Bulls II, the defending USL champions. The Riverhounds had a dismal season last year, but they kicked off their 2017 campaign with a point, as ... Read More

Victor Souto started playing football when he was five.
Yes, football. No, there weren't any shoulder pads or helmets involved.
Souto was born and raised in Brazil, where “futebol” (American soccer) is at the heart and soul of the nation. The country is a haven for “o jogo bonito” (“the beautiful game), football players — think: Pelé, Ronaldinho, Marta — and fans. It's a place where instead of dreaming of being the next Tom Brady, kids dream of being the next Neymar and making a living ... Read More

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to quietly make signings in free agency. Now, they've added depth to their defense with signings of cornerback Coty Sensabaugh and defensive end Tyson Alualu.
Sensabaugh signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh. The cornerback was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, and he stayed in Tennessee until 2015 when he signed with the Los Angeles Rams for the 2016 season. However, Sensabaugh only appeared three times ... Read More

The Robert Morris University’s women’s basketball team didn't last long in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The No. 16 seed Colonials were defeated in the tournament by the No. 1 seed Notre Dame University Fighting Irish by a final score of 79-49.
RMU was led in scoring by senior guard Anna Niki Stamolamprou, who hails from Greece. Stamolamprou scored 19 points in the Colonials' first-round loss.
After the game, RMU head coach Charlie Buscaglia, in his first year as head coach, proclaimed ... Read More

The Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team won’t just be without their four graduating seniors next season. Freshman forward Corey Manigault and sophomore guard Crisshawn Clark announced they are transferring to different schools.
Manigault appeared in 18 games in his freshman season where, in his 80 minutes of game action, he scored 15 points. The Maryland native, who stands tall at 6-foot-8, grabbed 15 rebounds, provided two assists and recorded one block.
Clark, a sophomore from ... Read More

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have found their replacement for wide receiver Markus Wheaton: former Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Justin Hunter, who the Steelers signed to a one-year deal.
Pittsburgh also announced the team signed running back Knile Davis to a one-year contract, as well.
Hunter was drafted by the Titans in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft with the No. 34 overall pick. He hit the free agency market in 2016, where he signed with the Bills.
In four ... Read More

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds had a fairly easy start to preseason play.
Facing college teams, the Riverhounds won three matches and drew two. However, the squad got their first taste of USL opponent action in a friendly preseason match against the Rochester Rhinos, Pittsburgh's out-of-state rival.
If the match said anything about what the Riverhounds season will be like, it wasn’t very “friendly.”
The Riverhounds were handed a whopping 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Rhinos. Rochester, the ... Read More

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t letting backup quarterback Landry Jones test the free market.
In the first day of NFL free agency, the Steelers re-signed Jones, one of two Pittsburgh signings on the first day of the frenzy. The Steelers also re-signed tight end David Johnson.
Jones has been with the Steelers since he was drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft in the fourth round. He didn’t appear in any regular season games in his first two seasons, but he appeared in 15 games over the last two ... Read More

Even in the middle of preseason play, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are still making moves. Wednesday, the club announced the signing of defender Rich Balchan to a one-year contract.
Balchan was invited to go on trial with the team in February.
The 28-year-old started his career in 2008 with the Fort Wayne Fever (in the USL’s Premier Development League), where he made five appearances and scored two goals. In 2009, he signed with FC Indiana before making a move to the Chicago Fire Premier ... Read More

The season is officially over for the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team.
Pitt fell to the No. 21 University of Virginia Cavaliers 75-63 on Wednesday night in the ACC Tournament to end the season on a low note. The night before, the 14-seeded Panthers started the tournament with a narrow 61-59 win over the tournament's No. 11 seed, Georgia Tech.
“We’re very disappointed,” head coach Kevin Stallings said after Wednesday night's game. “Congratulations to Virginia. They just played ... Read More